Yummy Lummy

A blog about food and me

Tag: Croissant

  • Pulled Pork Sandwich

    Pulled Pork Sandwich


    A pressure-cooked pulled pork and pancetta croissant sandwich

    Sometimes a recipe starts with a plan, and sometimes it starts with a search. This one began as a rummage through the refrigerator and a desire to turn a rack of pork ribs into something I could enjoy in a sandwich.

    This recipe combines pork ribs, pancetta, passata, fennel, onion, and celery in a pressure cooker to produce pulled pork. The vegetables melt into the sauce, the pancetta contributes salt and porky depth, and the passata provides sweetness and acidity. The result is spoon-tender meat that shreds itself.

    Pile the pulled pork into a warm, buttery croissant, and you have a thoroughly indulgent sandwich.

    A brief history of the pulled pork sandwich

    Pulled pork is most closely associated with the barbecue traditions of the American South. Historically, whole pigs were cooked slowly over wood fires for many hours. Once cooked, the meat was chopped or pulled apart and served with regional sauces.

    The pulled pork sandwich evolved as a practical way to serve this meat. Soft bread rolls made the barbecue easier to eat.

    While traditional barbecue relies on low-and-slow smoking, modern cooks can achieve remarkably similar tenderness using a pressure cooker. The pressure cooker dramatically shortens the cooking time while preserving moisture and concentrating flavour.

    This recipe is not intended to replicate authentic Southern barbecue. Instead, it borrows the idea of tender, shredded pork and reimagines it with a flaky croissant.

    Serves

    4 generous sandwiches or one for Gary

    Food blogger standing in a home kitchen wearing glasses and a white long-sleeved shirt before preparing an Instant Pot pork and pancetta recipe.

    Ingredients

    For the pulled pork

    • 1 rack pork ribs, approximately 1.2 to 1.5 kg
    • 200 g pancetta, diced
    • 1 brown onion, finely diced
    • 1 fennel bulb, finely diced
    • 2 celery stalks, finely diced
    • 20 mL apple cider vinegar
    • 500 mL passata
    • 250 mL water
    • 2 teaspoons sea salt
    • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    A vacuum-packed slab of Bertocchi Traditional Flat Pancetta with Black Pepper sits on a coral pink background. The cured pork belly is coated with cracked black pepper, and the front label highlights the Italian-style pancetta ready for cooking or serving.

    For serving

    • 4 large freshly baked croissants or one plus lots of leftover meat

    Equipment

    • Pressure cooker capable of reaching high pressure (approximately 12 psi or 80 kPa above atmospheric pressure)
    • Sharp knife
    • Chopping board
    • Measuring spoons
    • Tongs
    • Large bowl
    • Forks for shredding
    • Fine-mesh strainer (optional)
    A black Instant Pot pressure cooker sits on a kitchen benchtop with the digital display lit. The screen shows a 50-minute cooking time, pressure-cooking settings, and venting mode, highlighting the appliance used to prepare a slow-cooked pork and pancetta dish.

    Method

    Prepare the ingredients

    1. Remove any loose membrane from the pork ribs.
    2. Dice the pancetta.
    3. Roughly cut the onion, fennel, and celery.

    Pressure cook

    1. Add the pancetta.
    2. Add the onion, fennel, and celery.
    3. Add the passata and water.
    4. Nestle the pork ribs into the sauce.
    5. Secure the lid.

    Cook at high pressure (80 kPa above atmospheric pressure or approximately 12 psi) for:

    • 45 minutes for smaller racks
    • 50 minutes for larger racks

    Allow a natural pressure release.

    Shred the pork

    1. Remove the ribs and place them in a large bowl.
    2. Allow them to cool for 5 minutes.
    3. Pull the meat from the bones using forks or gloved hands.
    4. Discard the bones and any large pieces of cartilage.

    Finish the sauce

    1. Simmer the cooking liquid for 10 to 15 minutes until slightly thickened.
    2. Return the shredded pork to the pressure cooker.
    3. Stir thoroughly so the meat absorbs the sauce.

    The finished pork should be moist, rich, and easy to spoon onto a sandwich.

    Assemble the croissant sandwich

    1. Slice each croissant horizontally.
    2. Lightly toast if desired.
    3. Fill generously with the pulled pork mixture.
    4. Spoon over a little extra sauce.
    5. Garnish with chives.

    Serve immediately while the croissant remains crisp and flaky.

    Open croissant sandwich filled with juicy pulled pork made from pork ribs and pancetta. The flaky croissant is generously spread with cultured butter and topped with chopped chives, all presented on a brightly patterned ceramic plate.
    Open croissant sandwich filled with juicy pulled pork made from pork ribs and pancetta. The flaky croissant is generously spread with cultured butter and topped with chopped chives, all presented on a brightly patterned ceramic plate.
    Open croissant sandwich filled with juicy pulled pork made from pork ribs and pancetta. The flaky croissant is generously spread with cultured butter and topped with chopped chives, all presented on a brightly patterned ceramic plate.
    Open croissant sandwich filled with juicy pulled pork made from pork ribs and pancetta. The flaky croissant is generously spread with cultured butter and topped with chopped chives, all presented on a brightly patterned ceramic plate.

    Serving suggestions

    This sandwich is rich, buttery, and intensely savoury. It pairs best with sides that provide freshness and texture.

    Consider serving with:

    • A shaved fennel and celery salad dressed with lemon juice.
    • Crisp coleslaw.
    • Pickled red onions.
    • Cucumber ribbons.
    • Roasted sweet potato wedges.
    • A simple green salad with rocket and parmesan.

    For a brunch presentation, serve the croissant alongside a small salad of fennel, parsley, and celery leaves.

    For a more substantial meal, serve with roasted vegetables and extra passata on the side.

    Notes for success

    • Pork ribs contain enough connective tissue to create a luscious pulled-pork texture when pressure-cooked.
    • Natural pressure release is important. Rapid release may cause the meat fibres to tighten.
    • Pancetta contributes both seasoning and body to the sauce. Taste before adding extra salt.
    • A buttery croissant creates a luxurious contrast to the rich tomato-braised pork.
    • Leftover pulled pork will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheats beautifully in a saucepan over low heat.

    Final thoughts

    Pull Pork Sandwich is what happens when you rummage around the refrigerator, find some pork, and then go and buy a croissant. The pressure cooker transforms pork ribs into tender strands of flavour-packed meat, while fennel, pancetta, and passata create a savoury sauce. Stuffed inside a flaky croissant, it becomes messy, indulgent, and entirely worth the extra napkins. It may not be traditional pulled pork, but it is delicious for anyone.

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  • Croissant sandwiches

    Croissant sandwiches


    A buttery reflection on steak, corned beef, and why a fresh croissant may be better than ordinary sandwich bread.

    There are moments in life when an ordinary sandwich loaf simply will not do. This week, fresh croissants found themselves pressed into sandwich service, and I am not sure I want to go back to standard bread any time soon.

    The first experiment used leftover Scotch fillet strips, vintage cheddar, and cultured butter. The croissant was split, the base was buttered, the beef and cheese were layered over the top, and the whole lot had five minutes in the air fryer. The lid received another smear of cultured butter after it cooled slightly because, apparently, I had decided moderation was a spectator sport.

    The result was probably the best steak sandwich I have eaten in many, many years. There was flaky pastry, savoury beef, melted cheese, and enough cultured butter to make the croissant feel deeply appreciated.

    Sliced Scotch fillet steak arranged on a decorative ceramic plate, showing a deep brown seared crust and a pink medium-rare centre. The steak was cooked sous vide in a water bath and finished with a barbecue sear and gas torch, creating a charred exterior while retaining a juicy interior. A pat of butter rests on top of the sliced beef, beginning to melt over the warm meat, while flakes of coarse sea salt and cracked black pepper are scattered across the surface. The plate features colourful fruit and leaf motifs that contrast with the rich red and brown tones of the steak.
    Open toasted croissant sandwich on a wooden chopping board, filled with thick slices of leftover Scotch fillet steak and topped with melted vintage cheddar cheese. The croissant lid is generously spread with cultured butter, while the steak shows a dark, charred crust and a pink medium-rare centre. The melted cheese is sprinkled with cracked black pepper and finely chopped chives. The sandwich is presented partially assembled, highlighting the flaky croissant layers, buttery interior, and richly coloured steak and cheese filling.

    Not content with one success, I repeated the experiment with hashed corned beef from a tin. The corned beef was gently sautéed in a skillet until the fat rendered and the meat took on a little colour without becoming dry. Because the meat was hashed, it spread beautifully over the croissant base.

    The warm corned beef met the generously buttered croissant, and the cultured butter melted through the pastry layers. This was not high ceremony. This was practical with a French accent and a very happy ending.

    Open butter croissant sandwich on a colourful striped plate, topped with a generous layer of pan-fried hashed corned beef. Thick cultured butter is spread across the upper half of the flaky croissant and has begun to melt into the pastry. The corned beef filling is lightly browned and seasoned with black pepper, with a small amount spilling onto the plate. The image highlights the contrast between the buttery golden croissant, rich pink corned beef, and brightly coloured plate.

    Why a Croissant Works So Well as Sandwich Bread

    A good sandwich loaf has one job: it holds the filling together. A good croissant does more than hold things. It participates. The laminated layers bring crispness, tenderness, and buttery richness. The exterior flakes, the interior stays soft, and every bite has more texture than a plain slice of bread can usually manage.

    That does not mean a croissant is right for every sandwich. A towering salad sandwich on a croissant may end with lettuce, tomato, and regret on your lap. However, with rich fillings such as steak, cheddar, ham, egg, chicken, or corned beef, a croissant can be just as good as ordinary bread, and possibly better. It is not merely a vehicle. It is the co-driver.

    The Nutritional Question

    Let us address the buttery elephant in the room. Nobody reaches for a croissant because it is dressed as a health food. A traditional butter croissant is more energy-dense than ordinary sandwich bread because it is made with laminated dough, in which butter is folded into the dough repeatedly to create those crisp, flaky layers.

    Approximate Nutrition per Butter Croissant

    Nutrientper large croissant
    Energy1,300–1,600 kJ
    Protein6–8 g
    Fat17–22 g
    Saturated fat10–13 g
    Carbohydrate30–40 g
    Sugars5–8 g
    Dietary fibre1–3 g
    Sodium250–450 mg

    The exact numbers will vary according to the baker, size, butter content, and whether the croissant is plain or filled. Once you add Scotch fillet, vintage cheddar, hashed corned beef, and cultured butter, the numbers change again. The beef lifts the protein and iron, the cheese adds protein and calcium, the corned beef contributes protein, iron, vitamin B12, and sodium, and the butter contributes joy, which nutrition panels still stubbornly refuse to measure.

    From a low-carbohydrate perspective, a croissant is not an everyday staple. From a culinary perspective, however, it is an occasional indulgence that can transform a simple sandwich into something memorable.

    Would the French Approve?

    Possibly. Traditional French breakfasts often feature croissants served simply with coffee, tea, hot chocolate, butter, or jam. The classic version is uncomplicated: buy it fresh, eat it fresh, and preferably enjoy it before the flakes have time to settle into your shirt.

    That said, France is not unfamiliar with savoury croissants. Café counters, bakeries, and takeaway shops commonly sell croissants filled with ham, cheese, chicken, or other savoury ingredients. Some pastry purists may object to using a croissant for corned beef, but food rules are often most interesting when they meet a hungry person holding cultured butter.

    A Brief, Buttery History

    The croissant is closely associated with France, but its ancestry is more complicated. Food historians commonly link it to the Austrian kipferl, a crescent-shaped bread or pastry that predates the modern French croissant. The croissant became distinct when French bakers applied yeasted laminated dough techniques, folding butter through dough to make the thin, airy layers that define the pastry today.

    Those layers do not happen by accident. Croissant dough is rolled, folded around butter, chilled, rolled again, folded again, shaped, proved, and baked. In the oven, water in the butter turns to steam, the layers lift, and the baker hopes the result is golden, crisp, and structured rather than a buttery landslide.

    A proper croissant is at its best on the day it is baked. The outside should shatter slightly, the inside should show an open honeycomb crumb, and the whole thing should make you feel that ordinary toast has taken the morning off.

    Final Thoughts

    Perhaps the lesson here is simple: croissants should not be confined by tradition. If a fresh croissant can elevate leftover Scotch fillet and vintage cheddar into a memorable steak sandwich, and transform humble hashed corned beef into something worth writing about, then it deserves greater recognition as sandwich bread.

    The French may debate pastry etiquette. I will be over here, applying another generous layer of cultured butter.

    Author’s note: No ordinary sandwich loaf was harmed during these experiments. Several croissants, however, made the ultimate sacrifice.

    An artificial intelligence large language model was exploited to generate some of the original text before review and editing. The images have not been edited using artificial intelligence.

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  • Cannelle French Pastries

    Cannelle French Pastries


    Microsoft Copilot generated image of Gary and Cannelle French Pastry custard croissant and cinnamon scroll.

    The other night, I started thinking about custard-filled pastry[i]. My mind went back to the custard-filled almond croissants from Dobinsons Canberra. My local bakery was in Belconnen. It was within walking distance of the flat I was renting. I’d buy a coffee[ii] there every Saturday morning before shopping for groceries. From time to time, I’d get a vanilla slice, or a custard-filled almond croissant or some other custard-filled pastry treat. Dobinsons Canberra had a terrific coffee card. Every fifth coffee was free, and every 20th coffee was free, along with a cake or pastry. I rarely “bought” a custard treat from Dobinsons Canberra.

    Through the wonder of the Internet and search engines, I discovered a croissant bakery close to my home. It’s a hidden gem. It is Cannelle French Pastries. While the “street address” is Henley Beach Road, access is via Hayward Avenue, but the shop front isn’t easily apparent from the street. If you weren’t searching for it, you’d possibly miss it.

    I won’t rewrite my review here. You can find it on Google Maps and Facebook.

    One of two Cannelle French Pastries display cabinets.
    One of two Cannelle French Pastries display cabinets.
    For morning tea, I enjoyed a custard croissant and a cinnamon scroll from "Cannelle French Pastries" in Torrensville.
    For morning tea, I enjoyed a custard croissant and a cinnamon scroll from "Cannelle French Pastries" in Torrensville.
    Photograph of Cannelle French Pastries from Hayward Avenue, Torrensville.
    Photograph of Cannelle French Pastries from Hayward Avenue, Torrensville.
    Photograph of Cannelle French Pastries from Hayward Avenue, Torrensville.
    Use of Microsoft Copilot for Image Generation

    2025 National Rugby League grand final

    Last week I referred to the NRL grand final premiership game. The Brisbane Broncos defeated the Melbourne Storm. The game was exciting to watch.

    Here’s a headline bound to upset fans of soccer and Aussie rules.

    Rugby League crowned Australia’s No.1 sport as GF smashes records

    I went to work on Tuesday with a smile on my face and enjoyed the various conversations about how brilliant it was for the men’s and women’s Brisbane Broncos teams to be premiers in the NRL and NRLW, respectively.

    Recipe — steak and three vegetables

    Dry brining

    Ingredients

    • Grass-fed scotch fillet steak
    • Salt
    • Pepper
    • Brussels sprouts
    • “Baby” carrots
    • Fennel
    • Beef fat[iii]
    • Grass-fed[iv] butter
    • Pure pouring cream
    • Cream cheese
    • Dijon mustard
    • Blue vein cheese

    Equipment

    • Precision cooker
    • Water bath
    • Barbecue grill
    • Gas torch
    • Small saucier pan

    Instructions

    Steak

    1. Dry-brine the steak.
    2. Cook the steak sous vide for 3 hours at 57 °C.
    3. Sear the steak with a gas torch over the barbecue grill.

    Brussels sprouts, carrots, and fennel

    1. Cut each Brussels sprout in half (longitudinally).
    2. Parboil the Brussels sprouts, carrots, and fennel in salted water.
    3. Remove the excess water.
    4. Shallow fry in beef fat on the barbecue grill.

    Sauce

    1. In a small saucier pan, add butter, pure pouring cream, cream cheese, blue vein cheese, and Dijon mustard.
    2. Turn on the heat to low and begin stirring while the ingredients combine to form a thick, rich sauce.
    3. Add the cooking liquor from the steak’s vacuum bag and stir through the sauce.
    4. Further season the sauce with freshly cracked black peppercorns.

    Serving the meal

    1. Pour the sauce over the dinner plate.
    2. Slice the steak and place it on the dinner plate.
    3. Place the vegetables next to the steak.
    4. Season with flaky salt and freshly cracked peppercorns.

    Thoughts on the meal

    I don’t think I’ll ever tire of steak. The only thing that would turn me off is Alpha-gal syndrome[v]. To avoid that, I refuse to go bushwalking.

    Photographs

    This is a gallery. Select one and scroll through the rest.

    Read the AI statement.

    For tea, I prepared a portion of grass-fed scotch fillet steak by sous vide. Additionally, I parboiled and deep-fried Brussels sprouts, fennel, and baby carrots in beef fat to enhance their flavour. The accompanying sauce was created from the meat juices, combined with butter, cream, cream cheese, Dijon mustard, and blue cheese, creating a rich and complementary accompaniment to the dish.
    For tea, I prepared a portion of grass-fed scotch fillet steak by sous vide. Additionally, I parboiled and deep-fried Brussels sprouts, fennel, and baby carrots in beef fat to enhance their flavour. The accompanying sauce was created from the meat juices, combined with butter, cream, cream cheese, Dijon mustard, and blue cheese, creating a rich and complementary accompaniment to the dish.
    For tea, I prepared a portion of grass-fed scotch fillet steak by sous vide. Additionally, I parboiled and deep-fried Brussels sprouts, fennel, and baby carrots in beef fat to enhance their flavour. The accompanying sauce was created from the meat juices, combined with butter, cream, cream cheese, Dijon mustard, and blue cheese, creating a rich and complementary accompaniment to the dish.
    For tea, I prepared a portion of grass-fed scotch fillet steak by sous vide. Additionally, I parboiled and deep-fried Brussels sprouts, fennel, and baby carrots in beef fat to enhance their flavour. The accompanying sauce was created from the meat juices, combined with butter, cream, cream cheese, Dijon mustard, and blue cheese, creating a rich and complementary accompaniment to the dish.
    For tea, I prepared a portion of grass-fed scotch fillet steak by sous vide. Additionally, I parboiled and deep-fried Brussels sprouts, fennel, and baby carrots in beef fat to enhance their flavour. The accompanying sauce was created from the meat juices, combined with butter, cream, cream cheese, Dijon mustard, and blue cheese, creating a rich and complementary accompaniment to the dish.

    More custard

    I visited “The Village Baker” earlier today to buy a sourdough baguette. I also bought a custard-filled Berliner[vi].

    Custard filled Berliner from The Village Baker Black Forrest
    Custard filled Berliner from The Village Baker Black Forrest

    [i] I probably think about custard-filled pastries once a day.

    [ii] The coffee was not always the best and certainly the coffee in Adelaide is superior to any coffee I’ve consumed in Canberra.

    [iii] I use beef fat which is left over from slow cooking beef cuts like ribs, brisket, and chuck steak.

    [iv] From New Zealand.

    [v] Also known as mammalian meat allergy. It’s associated with the bite of some ticks.

    [vi] A Berliner is a traditional German doughnut without a hole, made from sweet yeast dough, deep-fried, and typically filled with jam or custard. It’s usually dusted with powdered sugar or glazed with icing. In South Australia, Berliners were renamed Kitchener Buns during WWI due to anti-German sentiment. These are slashed on one side and filled with jam and whipped cream.